Circuit controller



NOV- 28, 1944. H. BONE CIRCUIT CONTROLLER Filed Jan. 19, 1942 C lemma RLY-APMM.

`Patenteczl Nov. 28,f 1944 j i i 2,363,936l

N f u` UNITED STATES- PATENT IOFFICE:

assessed omocrrj ooN'rRonLEn 3. p n n fHeriliert; LBone'fFcreSt Hillsfli'a'.,'assignorfto` i i The` Union Switch&figna1 Gompany, Swissi vale. Pa., aicorporatio of Pennsylvania l t Application January 1.9,` 1942, SerialiNol 427;,279 y i a l ciaims l (ci. goof-evi invention relates to? circuit controllers,

`and more `particularly t'o circuit controllers for use-with an operated' member `having alimited angular movement. i i i `operated member t is frequently biased "by gravity` ori other means toa rst. position and is*4 motor driven to` a second position spaced a pre-` determined angular movement from the first position. For example, a; highway crossing'gatei at the intersection of` the railway and highway Referring to Fig. llgx'thefreference vclfiaracter Gl 'designates l a: highway crossinggate" arm which is fixed o n ashaft; v41. "indicatedin part conventionally by a dotted line, `and which shaft"v is the operating shaft of'V the gate mechanism; i Such` highway" crossing gate mechanism may take differenti forms',` andmay` bei,` for example,

is. often biased by gravity to anobstructing position where the gate arm extends horizontallyi across the highway tc obstruct highway traic` entering the* intersection, and is motor operated to; a. clear position where theA gate arm fis verti` cal to clear highway traic. inaticallyvr deenergized the clear position and a hgldingmag-net' is energizedftol4 latch the gate arm at` such clear position. When a train ap` preaches the intersection the holdingi magnet is deenergized and the gate arm` gravitates4 to its horizontal position. 1 A i Anobj'ect of my invention 'is-'the provision of aV novel and improved circuit; controller for gov` erningthe actuating motor of an operated mem-` berxhaving a limited angularA movement.`

A further andf peculiar object of my inventionl is. the provision of' a novel circuit controller of l the snap switch type. for governingthe` motor l ot a highway crossinggate. Suchcircuit con- Aactuateckto. recl'ose `the motor circuit only after ther gate arm has `been lowered' a` predetermined number of` degrees from the clearposition. f

Qther objectsY and advantages ofY my inver.

tion will-` appearl as" the' specification progresses:

n I shall describe one. formwof apparatus eme bcdying l my invention.; and shall then point out the novel` featuresthereof in clainris` `In the accompanyingxdrawing, Fig.. 1; is a. view: partly`v diagrammaticand partly in ysection showing: one form of circuit controller embodying my invention when used, with a highway crossing n gate. Eig. 2` is am endi view o certain parte of Fig, 3= isa; lfragmentarv view showing aV 1 position of thecam` follower andrelatedi partsy of and a. holding winding which actuate a latch similar in construction to that shown andi dei scribedin Letters: Patent of the United States No.` 1;I38,087, granted to-John P. Soleman on` May-4, 191mm@ naiiwaypsignais, and to which patent reference iszmadefora1 full understanding 'of such mecl'ianisnri.l In the present application, 'gate armi: Glf `is an extended forni `of `tl-ie semer l phore "of the patent. It issufli'cient for the n present application to point out that thegate arm G+ is` biased by" gravityy to a horizontal( posi@ commas is, wthjpcsieion shown by solid lines in Eig.` l; and is` motor actuated clockwisey sub# stantially 90 de'greesto` a 'clear or Verticali position as indicatedv liiyl'V dotted lines in Fig.` l. other words,` gate arm GllisanI operated member having am.` arcuate movement limited to substantially SiOfdegrees.` `As anaidi'n understand I lng *the apparatusv Ifshall at times refer to the horizontal position of the gate arm as the zerol l degree position, and to the vertical position as the )9m degree position.`

`iShaiit p4 "s operatively connected to` a motor MI" through a gear trainY 65. Asv here shown,

n motorMl' softthedi'rect urrent `series type; the,`

arrangement being such that when *its` armature 62 and! tleI-'d winding `1 are energized, `the motor is operated as 'required to drive shaft 4' clockwise, and thus raise the gate arm Gi' against its bias to the vertical` position. The gate mechanism .also includes a pick-up winding' PM means not shownfor retaining the gate arm at its 90"' degree position,` the `arrangement being 1 such that` energzationfof both magnets PM and` ence.-` eharacters; designate similar parts'. i

Itis to; beunderstood' that myv invention is not limitedim itsfuseV tohighway crossing. gates is required to.V pickup the latchtarmature, but once picked uplit is held in position by energization ofthe holding winding only; `The gate mechanism hirther includes circuit4 controller contacts operated bythe shaft *,and' of `which circuity controller contacts two are shown t conventionally at. Stand "5; while: a `third is in-i.

dicated as a` whole bythe reference character CC. This circuit controllerCC embodies my in-l l vention, anditsstructure will nowbe described.

`and thisone applicationservesl toil-lustratethe `A cam member S isfrmlysecured; to shaft by5 any suitable means,` such as a clam tr, and

is disposed on the. shaft to occupy thevposition-` shown in Fig; "1 when-the.` gate: arm `Gl` is at ,its

4sulation material.

horizontal or zera degree position, and is rotated clockwise 90 degrees along with shaft 4 when the gate arm is raised to its vertical or'90 degree position. When the gate arm GI gravitates back t its zero degree position, then cam member 9 is of course actuated back to the position shown in Fig. 1. Cam member 9 is formed with a periphery II, the arc of the effective portion of which is a preselected number of degrees less than the 90 degree arcuate movement of the gate arm. For example, the arc of the effective portion of periphery II may be about seven degrees less and substantially 83 degrees. At the upper or left-hand end as viewed in Fig. 1, pe-

riphery II of cam member 9 is bifurcated, the

two bifurcations 40 and 4| (see Fig. 2)v each having a beveled surface 43 and a stop surface 42 into which the periphery I I terminates. The

troller CC can best be undenstoodby a descrip- The control i tion of the apparatus as a whole. circuits for the gate mechanism may be any one of several well-known arrangements, and ashore shown, these circuits are controlled by a control relay RI which in turn may be governed manually or automatically by railway trafc moving over the intersection of the railway and highway at which the gate mechanism is located. In Fig. 1, the gate mechanism is shown as occupying the zero degree position and to operate the gate arm `GI to the 90 degree position, the control relay radius of periphery II is immaterial and may be of any suitable dimensions.

A drag link I2 is pivotally mounted at its lower or inner end on cam member 9 by means of a pin I3 which is journaled in bearings cast integral withv cam member 9. The upper and outer end of drag link I2 lies between bifurcations 40 and 4I and is formed with a periphery I5 which aligns and forms a continuation of the periphery II of Y cam member 9. At the left-hand edge of the drag link periphery I5l there is formed a beveled surfacel I6 which terminates in a latch surface IgI. It is clearthat drag link I2 can be roated about pivot pin I3 relative to cam member 9 and is of course actuated along with Acam member 9 when shaft 4 is rotated. The upper or left-hand rotation of drag link I2 about pivot pin I3 is limited by a stop pin I 8 mounted in the bifurcations 40 and 4|.l `l'he downward or right-hand rotation vof drag link I2 about pivot pin I3` is controlled by spring means comp-risinga spring bolt 2| `and a relatively light tension spring I9. Spring bolt 2| is mounted in a bore of a boss 24 cast on cam member 9, a spring 28 o-f relatively strong tension being placed onbolt'ZI and conned between a shoulder of the bolt andthe bottom of the bore to force the bolt 2| outward. Such movement of spring bolt 2|- is adjusted by a nut 26 and the parts are so arranged that the curved surface of the bolt head 21 of spring bolt 2| is made to normally cleardraglink I2 by a'prede` termined clearance oftheorder of say one-eighth inch. The relatively light tension spring I9 is mounted in drilled Vholes of the drag link I2 and 'I'hus drag link I2 is rotatable about pivot pin I3 bolt head 27.

between stoppin I8 and the spring bolt 2|. i

A spring contact member is fixed at its lower end by terminal bolt 3| secured. in a terminal block 32 or suitable insulation material.` 'Ihe free end of contact member 30 is f-ormed with a flexible contact 34 adaptable of engaging a stationary contact 35 which isv secured by a terminal bolt 36 in a terminal block 3I of suitable in- Hence "when spring Contact member 38 is forced to the right to the position shown in Fig. 1 to lbring flexible contact 34 into engagement with stationary contact 35, an elec-` trical connection is completed between terminal bolts 3| and 36. Spring contact 'member 30, however. is of relatively stiff material and is biased to the left-where its flexible contact is out of engagement with stationary contact 35.

A cam follower` 38 is mounted on spring contact member 3U by means of insulation strips 39 and screws 40a, making cam follower 38 electrically insulated from spring contact member 30 RI is Picked up to close front contacts 5I' and 52; The closing of front contact 5| completes a motor operating circuit comprising terminal B of any suitable source of current, such as a battery not shown, front contact 5| of relay RI, contact 34-35 of circuit controller CCsince cam follower 38,'now rests on periphery II of cam member 9,

wire 53, winding lof a relay SR toi-be referred to later, armature 6 and field winding 'I of motor-` MI and terminal C of the current source, and motor MI is energized to drive shaft 4 and gate arm GI in the clockwise direction. When 83 degrees of the movement of the gate arm is completed, cam follower 38 rides off periphery II of cam member 9 onto periphery I5 of drag link I2,

but drag link I2 is prevented from rotating about the pivot pin I3 by stop pin I8. At the SQ'degree4 position of the gate arm, that is, at substantially.

the -90 degree position, cam follower 38 moves off periphery I5 onto the beveled surface I6 of the drag link. Since spring contact member 30 is of relatively stiff material and is biased to the left the force of Contact member 30 rotates drag linkv I2 about pivot pin I3 against'the light tension of` spring I9 and the electrical contact 34-35 is opened with a snap action. Camfollower 38 pushes drag link I2 downagainst the tension ofspring I9 and comes to stop against the stop sur- -face 42 of cam member 9 and in whichposition it also engages the' latch surface I'I of drag link I2. .'I'he opening of the motor circuit deenergizes the motorv and rotation of the shaft is stopped.4 Circuit controller contact 3 is closed at about the 86 degree position of the movement and current flows over the motor circuit up 'to Wire 53 and thence over contact 3 and the winding of pick-up magnet PM to terminal C of the current 'source during that portion of the move#` ment between 86 degrees and 89 degrees. The closing of front contact 52 of control relay RI completes an obvious circuit for holding magnet HM and consequently energization of the pickup magnet PM at the 86 degree position causes vthe latch armature to be picked up so that when the contact 34-35 is opened by the action of*v controller CC asexplained above, the gate mechanismI is latched at the 90 degree position by energization of the holding magnet HM. 'I 'he gate] arm GI is then retained at the 90 degree or vertical position as long as'control relay RI remainsf energized to close the circuit for the holding mag- 1 l net HM. It isi to be noted that at this 90 degree' position the hook end of cam follower 38 engages both the stop surface 42 of cam member!!4 and latch surface I'I of dragv link I2.

-To lower the gate arm, the control relay RI' -is deenergized and upon releasing opens front contact 52 to deenergize the holding magnet HM due to the engagement withsaid latchk surface, and to engage said beveled surface of the cam member when the shaft is rotated away 'from said second position toward said first position to` force the cam follower out of engagement with said `latch surface and permit said drag link .to be rotated about its pivot by said spring means to close by snap action said electrical contact.

3. In combination, a shaft reversibly operated between a first and a second position spaced a predetermined number 'of degrees of a revolution, a cam member flXed 0n said shaft and formed with an effective periphery of a presel'ected number of degrees less-than said predetermined number of degrees and terminating at one end in a beveled surface, a drag link pivoted on said cam member and formed with a. periphery of an arc substantially equal to said preselected number of degrees, said drag link disposed for its periphery to align with the cam member periphery at said one end and formed with av rotation of saiddrag link about .itspivot away from'the cam member and toroppose rotationv of the drag link about its pivot toward the cam y member, a cam follower spring biased to ride on said peripheries; and a circuit controller' `conp contact by snap action at substantially said second position due to rotation of said drag-link about its pivot by the spring bias of the follower when the follower engages the beveled surv face of the drag link, to hold open the contact at said second posiiton, to compress said spring bolt when the shaft moves toward said first position due to the cam follower engaging said latch' surface, and to close the contact by snap action` at a preselected' point in the movement ofthe shaft toward said first position due to rotation of kthe drag link by said spring bolt when the follower is raised free from the latch surface by the beveled surface of the cam member.

o HERBERT L. BONE. 

